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Moses ends his blessing in Deuteronomy 33 by calling Israel happy and promising it will trample its enemies. The Testament of Moses ends his last prophecy with the same language, but here Israel is carried up on an eagle to live among the stars.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 33:29
Hebrew Bible
26 “There is no one like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the sky to help you, on the clouds in majesty. 27 The everlasting God is a refuge, and underneath you are his eternal arms; he has driven out enemies before you, and has said, ‘Destroy!’ 28 Israel lives in safety, the fountain of Jacob is quite secure, in a land of grain and new wine; indeed, its heavens rain down dew. 29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you? You are a people delivered by the Lord, your protective shield and your exalted sword. May your enemies cringe before you; may you trample on their backs.”
Testament of Moses 10:8
Assumption of Moses
Pseudepigrapha, Testaments
For the Most High will arise, the Eternal God alone, And He will appear to punish the Gentiles, And He will destroy all their idols. Then you, O Israel, shall be happy, And you shall mount upon the necks and wings of the eagle, And they shall be ended. And God will exalt you, And He will cause you to approach the heaven of the stars, In the place of their habitation. And you will look from on high and see your enemies in Ge(henna) And you shall recognize them and rejoice, And you shall give thanks and confess your Creator.
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Notes and References
“... In As. Mos. 10:8, the eschatological fulfilment of God's promise is expected. [...] Only after the appearance of God's kingdom will the people regain their blissful state and be worthy of the name Israel. The words tunc felix eris, tu Istrahel are practically identical to those in Deut. 33:29: μακάριος σύ, Ἰσραήλ. The connection between As. Mos. 10:8 and Deut. 33:29 is seemingly strengthened by the image of mounting on the necks of an eagle. In Deut. 33:29 LXX, it is prophesied that σὺ ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῶν ἐπιβήσῃ, which refers to Israel's victory over its enemies. This element from Deut. 33:29 should not also be connected with As. Mos. 10:8. The eagle in As. Mos. clearly is an animal which is expected to transport Israel to heaven, and not an enemy which is to be humiliated. [...] An eagle that carries Israel is used as an image for the Lord's leading his people out of Egypt in Exod. 19:4 and Deut. 32:11. In As. Mos. 10:8, this eagle simply carries the Lord's people out of the world into heaven, as in 1 En. 96:2. ...”
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